Heated steering wheel



June 20, 1939; 1.. B. PREBLE HEATED STEERING WHEEL Filed Feb. 12, 1938Patented June 20, 1939 2,163,450

UNlTED STATES PATENT OFFICE HEATED STEERING WHEEL Louise B. Preble,Ilingham, Mass. Application February 12, 1938, Serial No. 190,239

1 Claim. 219-19) My present invention is a novel and improved arrangedas to position the heating unit substansteering wheel, having heatingmeans incorpotially central of the hand-holding rim-or portion rated andconstructed therein to facilitate the to be heated so as to afford aneven difiusion of use of the same in cold weather. heat when desired.Small recesses may also be My invention is particularly directed to theformed at predetermined portions in the rim to construction of asteering wheel, and heating permit a flow of heated air therein, aroundthe elements therefor, for use with automobiles, heating unit andtherefrom, if desired. trucks, aeroplanes, motor boats, ships, or thelike, Where heated air is forced thru a suitable conand enables theoperator to keep his hands from duit into the interior of the hollowsteering wheel, becoming numb in cold weather, and having the I alsoprefer to form a plurality of small openings 1 advantage of being ableto hold such a wheel permitting the forcing out of the normally coldwithout gloves or with extremely thin gloves, faair contained within thecenter of the rim and cilitating the grip and safety operation thereof,the inflow of the heated air therein and thereas well as insuringcomfort to the driver. from.

5 Various attempts to utilize heating devices for In the use of anelectrical heating unit, or 16 automobile steering wheels haveheretofore been units, I may provide a rheostat to give varying made,such for example as wrapping or securing degrees of heat and incorporatesame as a switch heating wires or devices to the outside of the eitheron the instrument or panel board of the normal or standard type ofsteering wheel, but all vehicl or directly adjacent the rim on thesteer- 20 such prior devices have been objectionable, being ing wheel.When heated air is employed, a 20 bulky, uneven in heat distribution,subject to switch to initiate the forced draft may also be wear,breakage, and damage to the user and othconveniently located either onthe instrument,

erwise unsatisfactory in use. panel board, or elsewhere, as desired, andvary- My present invention obviates the difliculties ing speeds of thedraft-creating means can be above briefly outlined and provides asteering provided if desired. 25 wheel construction with theheatinginstrumen- Referring to the drawing illustrating preferredtalities entirely protected and concealed within embodiments of mypresent invention, the structure of the hand-holding portion of the Fig.115 a plan view of the steering wheel, partsteering wheel, beingincorporated directly therely broken away to show the electric units andin and protected from damage and concealed conducting wires therein; 30from view. 7 Fig. 2 is an enlarged cross-sectional view on In carryingout my present invention I utilize the line 22 of Fig. 1; any suitablesource of heat, such for example as Fig. 3 is a side view; an electricunit, or units, of heated currents of Fig. 4 is a bottom plan view ofthe steering air forced under the influence of a fan from any wheel ofFigs. 1 and 3, and 35 suitable source of heat, such as a heating radiaFig. 5 is a diagrammatic view of an air-feeding tor within the vehicle,conducting the same to installation. the interior of the hand-holdingportion or rim As shown in the drawing, l indicates a typical of thewheel, as well also as the spokes, if desteering post as installed inair or land vehicles,

sired, since the operator frequently holds the or motor boats, to whicha hub 2 is fitted and 40 spokes, and thus effecting a constant, even,uniover which a plurality of spokes, here shown as form flow of heataround the steering wheel. three in number, and designated as 3, 4, and5,

Various ways of carrying out my invention may extend to the hand-holdingrim or steering wheel be employed, two such methods being herein il- 6.This wheel, embodying my invention of an lustrated. Preferably, Iutilize a plurality of elecinterior heating element, as hereinillustrated, is 45 tric heating units'shaped to flt around the pemade intwo sections, the upper or top section 6 riphery of the wheel andarranged to be conand a lower or removable section I, having an cealedand protected within the circumference of interlocking dovetailedconnection as indicated at the hand-holding rim, as well also as,preferably, 8, Figs. 1 and 2.

having such units installed so as to permit ready Such steering wheelsare usually now made f 50 assembly and renewal of the heating units andnon-metallic material although hollow metal was conducting wires whendesired. formerly utilized for the rim and spokes and I may, andpreferably will, make the steering can, of course, be employed with myinvention it wheel with a removable section, or sections, to desired.But I have herein illustrated the same which the heating units may beattached and so as of the present usual type of material such as 55Bakelite, Catalin, or other plastic or moldable synthetic material. Thelower portion i is preferably made removable and to the same may beattached electric heating elements l6, l2, and i6 removable with thesection I and capable at removal therewith.

As herein shown, I employ three such electrical heating units l0 aroundthe periphery of the rim 6, between the several spokes 3, 4, and 5although, if desired, a plurality can be utilized. Pairs of currentconducting wires, as indicated at I I, i3, and I5 respectively, leadfrom the main wires i6, which wires i6 extend downwardly inside the posti to any suitable source of power such as the battery of the vehicle.

Preferably, and as herein shown, I have illustrated the entire removablepart of the rim I with spoke-extending portions iii-l8, attaching thesame by a plurality of screws, or the like, l9--l9 at various points,permitting either the attachment of the section I carrying the heatingelements to the upper portion 6 and permitting ready removal of thesame. Suitable length or'slack is provided around the interior of thehub 2 and between the post I and the steering column 20to allow thepartial rotation of the steering wheel in either direction withoutdislodging the current conducting wires.

I may provide a plurality of air inlets as shown at 2| to the interiorof the rim between the sections 6 and l where the air is warmed by theheating elements l0, l2, and I 4; and I provide corresponding outlets22--22 in the top of the rim 6 to permit a flow of warm air therethrudirectly to the hands of the operator, these openings facilitatingwarming the operators hands.

As shown in Fig. 5, a hollow rim 25 either in sectional form or as acontinuous tubular rim is provided, with openings thereto from thehollow spokes 3, A, and 5 permitting heated air currents to circulatetherearound, being led into a circular conduit within the hollow hub 2by a conduit 30 leading to any suitable source of heat and a blower orforced draft instrumentality'. Such a conduit 30 may be a flexible tubearound the steering post with suflicient length and slack to permit therotation of the wheel, and in this form I provide openings 3i th'ru thetop of the rim 25 in which to permit the escape of cold air therein whenthe heat is turned on to be forced thru the conduit 30, permitting thewarm air to flow therein and also outwardly direct to the hands of theoperator 3!.

It will thus be seen that in both forms herein shown for illustrativepurposes, I have devised a construction of steering wheel suitable forany use to which such an article may be put, having internal heatingmeans. Such internal heating devices may be an electric heating unit, ora plurality of units, or a current of heated air and means to supplyheating wires or such current from a suitable source of power.

I claim:

A heated steering wheel of the kind described, formed in two sections,the top section comprising a hand-holding rim with a circumferentialchannel rigidly united to the hub of the wheel by a plurality ofchannel-like spokes, and a lower covering section for both rim and spokechannel sections, in combination with a plurality of electrical heatingunits removably secured in the said rim channel, together withcurrent-conducting wires enclosed in the channels of said spokes.

LOUISE B. PREBLE.

